accomplished

some of you may know, other may not: i just had a (nearly) TWO DAY VACATION at home! meaning, just *me*. well, & griswold but he's so low maintenance at this point (except the dog hair on the floor & couch situation). wes took the girls to spend the weekend at his parents' house in avon lake. it was homecoming weekend, so you know, all the stops are pulled in that town: parades, etc. from what i've heard from wes, they've had a blast & have mostly managed to wreck the grandparents' home sufficiently. my time alone will come to an end today, but that will be after i do some grocery shopping, clean the upstairs, & take a walk (with dog or without? would he forgive me if i went without him when it's just the two of us?) & finish the laundry.

at first, i didn't know what to do that would take up an entire weekend. after kids arrived our life revolved around them & their schedule & needs...so when they're gone & even my husband is gone, well, what to do with myself?! at first i tried to just watch online tv--then the sound become all ghost-ish & distorted (does anyone else have this problem?) so i gave that up. then i decided to fold some laundry. THEN my sister arrived & being the non-parent, newly DINK'ed gal that she is, well she was like first you're NOT riding in that car with the toxic fumes (emiting from the interior of the car from mold or something gross like that...whitey, aka thelma aka my high school car that wes drives & won't get rid of until it dies...it still gets 36 miles per gallon in his defense) & we're going o-u-t & you *will* make me laugh & we'll have a good time! so we go out to grandview & have a great time. figlio's pizza--hello, what's not to love about that? after 5 hours of sister time & 1 near drink spitting incident (me) she dropped me off at home & i slept peacefully until...

she promptly called to wake me up at 8:48 a.m. saturday morning--twice-- & then she talked me into stealing money from my daughter's piggy bank so i could go shopping with her (okay, i suggested the heist, but she encouraged me, in my defense. this was not planned, the call, the shopping, the money taken from a piggy bank--what kind of parent am i?! *wink*). i found great deals at what has been determined to be my favorite store--the gap--but this was the highlight of the trip. picture this: we're at gap (at easton) & i'm gushing about this sweat-shirt-ish thing that i've been oogling over when i walk by gap at the mall (i can't go in & try it on or else i would just buy it impulsively. i have this sick sick sick love affair with gap jeans & sweatshirts...but check out the jeans i am *dying* for: the boyfriend cut. but they didn't have my size in the store. gasp, shock, horror, tears, etc). i was telling her all about this sweatshirt & looking all over the store for it & didn't see it & decided that it was fate telling me to lay off & i was sadly looking at other sweatshirts (that's my wardrobe, folks, sweatshirts, crew neck shirts, sweatpants & jeans) & then kristi said 'what about this one heids, it looks like something you'd like' & i said without looking 'man, i can't believe they don't have my shirt; this one here is okay' & she was like 'LOOK at this one, i think you'll like it' & i looked & heaven opened up & the heavenly choir sung hallelujah for just me & me only b/c kristi was holding up THE SWEATSHIRT picked from the *sale* rack. in black. in my size. could it get any better?

so we shopped the morning away & the pants i ended up deciding to buy were somehow magically marked down 60%!!!!!!!!! yes, that's 6-0-% the luck i was having proved it was meant to be, me & the gap, that morning. the sweatshirt. the sales. the free garlic pretzel sticks--with cheese--when i was so hungry i could eat an entire cow but didn't want to spend the moolah. glorious.

THEN...it gets better, folks, yes it does. THEN i invited some lady friends over, after a dinner out to a thai restaurant in the short north (yumminy yum yum), to have chocolate fondue & wine (& beer? & champagne that was never opened b/c we're all lightweights *smile*). we hung out talking without child interruptions for nearly 3 1/2 hours. we talked about real things & laughed & didn't scold anyone of our offspring during that time. i loved it.

but...i miss my girls. i miss my husband. last night i actually cuddled for about 1 minute with wes' pillow (then i was like--hey, i want my own pillow) & put the girls' baby lotion on my hands & stalked around in their rooms b/c i couldn't get to sleep (griswold making very loud noises sleeping in the bedroom; i had to kick him out). i want them back home...but am enjoying this time still. (by writing about them?!)

at this point this post is just rambling on about stuff that most of you aren't interested in reading. that's okay; it's not for you necessarily. i'm just refreshed after this weekend. every parent should get a chance to have a vacation in their own home & then have good friends to hang with to make it even better. plus our house will be *clean* by the time they return later today (it truly is amazing what can be accomplished without kids vying for my attention while cleaning & cooking). i may get a shower, take a walk, grocery store, dinner, & cleaning done--all in the same day! & still have energy left over to play with my girls & talk to my husband.

so thank you to my dear, wonderful, loving husband for giving me this weekend-not-away. it worked; i feel relaxed, my neck muscles don't ache from doing children lifting. i don't feel stressed about the screeching (that's for tomorrow). {now to get you, scotty, & cal off for a weekend in the woods...}... & thank you sue & bruce for enjoying my girls & giving wes sleep-in mornings. i'm sure you enjoyed this weekend with them--the girlies--as much as i've enjoyed the weekend without them. my break--without kids--in daily life is your break--with grandkids--in daily life. i *highly* recommend a vacation-not-away.